Kerala Shelves ₹64,000 Crore SilverLine Project: Key Reasons and Implications
मुख्य बातें
- •The Kerala government abandoned the ₹64,000 crore SilverLine semi-high speed rail project on May 20, citing environmental and financial concerns.
- •The 530 km corridor was planned to cut travel time from 12 hours to 4 hours, to be executed by K-Rail, a joint venture between the state and Indian Railways.
- •Land acquisition for 1,221 hectares led to mass protests and legal challenges, with over 9,300 structures and nearly 20,000 people potentially affected.
- •Technical issues included optimistic ridership projections, gauge choice, cost escalation to ₹1.25 lakh crore, ecological risks, and lack of Indian Railways approval.
The Kerala government, led by the United Democratic Front (UDF), has officially shelved the ambitious ₹64,000 crore SilverLine semi-high speed rail project. Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan announced the decision on May 20, stating that the project was both an “environmental disaster” and “financially unviable.” He also declared that all police cases registered against project opponents would be withdrawn, signaling a major policy reversal by the state government.
